Flexibility Grants: The SNSF support for researchers with families

This was published on April 8, 2025

"Pursue your career while raising a family." This is what the SNSF proposes with the Flexibility Grants. This measure is dedicated to yourg parents who are PhD students and posdocs working within the NCCR.

The Flexibility Grant is a measure proposed by the SNSF to increase the flexibility in the scientific career of young parents. This measure is applicable to PhD students and postdocs employed with a work-time percentage of at least 80% in an NCCR, regardless of the funding source, as well to PRIMA, Ambizione, Postdoc.Mobility return grant, or Doc.CH grant awardees.

  • The flexibility grant can provide funding to help cover the external child care costs charged to the researcher.
  • The flexibility grant can be used to help finance the salary of a support person, allowing the grantee to reduce his/her work quota (PhD students and holders of a Postdoc.Mobility return grant are not eligible for this measure) .

The two measures can also be combined.

Interested MARVEL junior researchers must submit their application directly to the MARVEL management team. Please contact Lidia Favre-Quattropani to receive the application form.

Family of three in the kitchen

In addition

  • MARVEL is committed to enhance work-life balance for all its members. Information about existing measures, daycare facilities and advice about work-life balance in the different institutions involved in MARVEL are listed here. 
  • The list of training, coaching and mentoring actions for women available in the institutions involved in MARVEL and to which you may participate is available here.